"Watchdog Group says Unified New Orleans Plan is Vague and Unrealistic". No shit, Sherlock. Local bloggers have pounded the UNOP for months. This is my favorite beat down.
I initially thought the idea of a "community-based planning process" was a great idea and would be in the best traditions of New Orleans. It would serve to truly give "the people" a voice. Boy, was I an idiot. The UNOP was one clusterfuck after another. It either focused on things that were obvious or things that just need to be centrally decided by experts (like flood protection).
We need to retreat away towards dictatorship to right the ship. We need to retreat and accept either the Bring New Orleans Back Commission or the ULI report.
Just as I reminder, we need a plan to get rebuilding money. We need to at least not have yet another black eye for the city. The list just goes on and on. This city has pissed away this country's goodwill just like Bush after 9/11. There, I said it.
Just like the US after 9/11, New Orleans had the unquestioned sympathy of all of America. We even had arch-conservatives like Newt on our side. And look what we've done. Even some of the most sympathetic now believe we got what we deserved. I'm ashamed. I'm so ashamed.
The planning process has been a trainwreck. It'll take drastic action to correct it. People will get pissed off. Egos will be bruised. Some people will just lose out. Too bad.
The survival of the city is at stake. We can't afford to fuck up things over and over and expect to survive.
1 comment:
You are so right about the Bring New Orleans Back plan. Nagin is far from perfect, but he did good when he picked the members and set them to work. Then, on the eve of announcing their plan, several city council members trashed the BNOB plan. I knew then that this was a sinking ship and that all we were going to do was rearrange the deck chairs.
Peace,
Tim
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